Published: Wednesday, 25th August, 2010 5:00pm
CCTV snares drivers using mobiles
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A number of motorists in Athlone are believed to have received fines and penalty point notices having been captured on the town's CCTV system using mobile phones while driving through the centre of the town.
The Westmeath Independent has learned that a handful of drivers have, in the last few weeks, received notices of the fines in the post.
The motorists were not stopped by Gardai and believe they were spotted on CCTV.
It's the first indication of the town's CCTV system being used in this way by Gardai and opens the possibility of a vast range of motoring offences being captured on camera.
Penalty points for driving a vehicle while holding a mobile phone came into force in September 2006.
When asked about the issue this week, Athlone Garda Supt Aidan Glacken would only say: "CCTV is multi-faceted and used for a variety of things but I can't comment on specific cases."
